World-famous fashion stylist and entrepreneur Agnès Troublé — better known as agnès b.—is also a major patron of contemporary art. agnès b. has been owner of the galerie du jour in Paris since 1983, and is also a collector. Over the years she has built a major collection of contemporary art.

The agnès b. endowment fund is responsible for preserving this unique contemporary art collection and presenting it to the public by loaning a large number of works to major exhibitions worldwide.

Shown here in Kyoto are images of “love” personally selected from her vast photo collection. Among the artists, Nan Goldin had her first Paris exhibition at Galerie du Jour, a clear indication of agnès b.’s deep appreciation of photography. Featured in this exhibit are works by Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Dennis Hopper, Ryan McGinley and many others, chosen with her discerning eye.

agnès b.
Born in Versailles, France, agnès b. registered her own brand in 1973, and opened her first store in 1975 in a former butcher’s shop in the Les Halles district in Paris, followed in 1980 by a New York store and others worldwide. She is known as well for her active support of contemporary art and humanitarian projects. In 2010 she was awarded the ‘Croix d’Officier de la légion d’Honneur’ by Stéphane Hessel, and in 2012 Gilles Jacob presented her with the ‘Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres’ medal. In recognition of her commitment to marine conservation, as a founding sponsor of the Tara Expeditions, she was awarded the SeaKeepers Award in Monaco in 2012. François Hollande presented agnès b. with the ‘Commandeur de la Légion d’honneur’ medal in 2016.